See Alligators In the Wild and Close-up - Shark Valley, Everglades National Park

Alligator at Shark Valley, Everglades

The alligator in the photo is roaming free at Shark Valley, in the Everglades National Park, just an hour's drive west of Miami. I took the photo.

Shark Valley is one of the best places that I know in the Everglades to see alligators. You can walk along a paved trail and see them close-by, basking in the sun.

Commercial Everglades Tours
When I first visited Florida my wife and I took an Everglades tour, which included an airboat trip, hoping to see alligators in the wild. The airboat was so noisy that if I'd been an alligator I would have slunk away before the boat got anywhere near.

We did see alligators on this commercial tour, but not on the boat trip or in the wild, just some mangy specimens in a fenced compound.

Shark Valley Alligators, Turtles and Birds
At Shark Valley you can expect to see as many as a dozen alligators in or near the water during a walk of an hour or so. Also, look out for turtles and birds such as anhingas, blue and white herons and cormorants.

Do Alligators Attack?
But don't the alligators attack? In all the years that I've lived in Miami, I've never heard of this happening, and if there were attacks it would surely be the lead story on the local television news. Sometimes the alligators at Shark Valley raise an eyelid and look at you as you look at them, then lazily close it again.

Alligators Don't Usually Eat During the Day
A warden told me that alligators don't usually eat during the day, although I have read local newspaper reports of little dogs being gobbled up by alligators when their owners took them too near a waterway or lake.

Thief Killed by Alligator
And a few years ago a thief being pursued on a Native American reservation by Miccosukee police dived into a lake trying to escape and was killed by an alligator.

Alligators Will Attack to Protect Their Young
Once I saw a baby alligator with its mother at Shark Valley, and beat a hasty retreat, because an alligator will attack to protect its young.

A sign at Shark Valley advises you that if an alligator hisses or opens its mouth in defence you should back away. Running isn't advised, as alligators can outpace you, at least over short distances.  

Feeding alligators is illegal, and anyway just plain stupid.

Guided Tour by “Tram”
Even though there's a tour at Shark Valley in an open-sided “tram” (in fact a long articulated motor vehicle) I've never taken it, because I just don't like guided tours. Instead I prefer to walk and see the alligators close-up, although not too close.

The tour lasts two hours and has a naturalist guide. Halfway through the trip there's a stop where you can climb an observation tower for a view over the wetlands.

Walking or Cycling
Unless you want a hike lasting several hours, or can take a bike, the tram tour is the only way to cover all of the 15-mile (24 km) paved trail, which loops round and returns to the visitors' centre.

Or you could take the tour just as far as the observation tower and walk back to get a better view of the alligators. Be sure to take water and a hat and suntan lotion, because the sun can be fierce.

Shark Valley as Flat as the Rest of South Florida
Despite its name, Shark Valley is as flat as the rest of South Florida and I can't imagine that there are sharks in the shallow fresh water. It's named Shark Valley because it runs into Shark Lake.

Driving the Only Way to Get to Shark Valley
Driving is the only way to get to Shark Valley. There is absolutely no public transport which will take you anywhere near.

However, depending on the time of year, hiring a car could be as cheap for a group of people as taking a commercial tour on which you might not see alligators in the wild, or at least not at close range.

Head along Highway 41, also known as the Tamiami Trail, which is the road to Naples.

Use Google Transit for Driving Directions
For detailed driving directions, plus a map, do a search using the Google Transit link in the right-hand sidebar of this blog and if you need help on using Google Transit read this post: Directions in Miami - Walking, Driving, Bike, Buses & Trains.

Alternative Driving Route to Shark Valley
The Google Transit route is a shade complicated on the stretch via Florida's Turnpike, and you might take a wrong turn, and possibly be fined for not stopping to pay.

A slower alternative would be via Southwest 7th Street in the Little Havana district of Miami, which eventually curves to the left and merges with Southwest 8th Street (also known as Calle Ocho, and in places the Tamiami Trail). After this curve just keep going straight on.

Watch for Brown Shark Valley Sign and Turn Left
Using either route, Shark Valley is on the left of the road. Just when you thought you were never going to get there you'll see a brown sign with white letters saying “Shark Valley.” Ignore signs in other colours, which are for commercial tours.